The effectiveness of Salmonella strains TA100, TA102 and TA104 for detecting mutagenicity of some aldehydes and peroxides.

Several aldehydes and peroxides were tested for mutagenicity using Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA97a, TA100, TA102 and TA104, in the presence and absence of Aroclor-induced liver S9 mix from F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice, in either preincubation or vapour phase protocols. Some chemicals were tested in additional Salmonella strains. Benzaldehyde, butyraldehyde, benzoyl peroxide, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, propionaldehyde and veratraldehyde were non-mutagenic. Acetaldehyde and dicumyl peroxide gave inconsistent results and furfural gave equivocal responses in TA100 and TA104. Cumene hydroperoxide, formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde were mutagenic in TA100, TA102 and TA104. trans-Cinnamaldehyde exhibited a weak mutagenic response in TA100 with mouse liver S9 only. 2,4,5-Trimethoxybenzaldehyde was mutagenic only in strain TA1538 with rat liver S9. With the exception of butanone peroxide, which was mutagenic only in TA104, all chemicals mutagenic in strains TA102 and/or TA104 were also mutagenic in TA100. The data do not, therefore, support the preferential use of strains TA102 and TA104 for screening aldehydes and peroxides for mutagenicity. For a number of these chemicals the advantages of using TA102 or TA104 was in the increased responses compared with those obtained with TA100. Two of the four peroxides were mutagenic and one of these was mutagenic only with TA104. This suggests that strains TA102 and TA104 be used if peroxides are not mutagenic in TA100 or TA97.